Line-by-line reading

すずめ

Fragments from one recurring image-world: colors joined at the heart, time and people cast as fleeting things, tears too thin for what they're asked to answer, a cry too big for one body, a wish to reach past what's merely right — and, underneath it, memories and feelings that resist being recalled or spoken at all.

きみなかにある あかあおせん

Within you there’s a red line and a blue one.

きみnoun — "you"
particlepossessive — "'s / of"
なかnoun — "inside, middle"
particlelocative — marks where something exists
あるverb — existential "to be/exist" (for inanimate things). 君の中にある is a relative clause modifying 線: "the line(s) that exist inside you."
あかnoun — "red"
particle"and" — connects the two nouns
青き あおきadjective — literary attributive form of 青い ("blue"), from the classical adjective 青し. Used here instead of 青い for a poetic register.
せんnoun — "line"

それらがむすばれるのは こころぞう

Where those two are tied together is the heart.

それらpronoun — "those" (referring back to the two lines)
particlesubject marker
結ばれる むすばれるverb — passive of 結ぶ (むすぶ, "to tie/connect") → "is tied, is joined"
particlenominalizer — turns "それらが結ばれる" into a noun phrase, "the place where they're joined"
particletopic marker
こころnoun — "heart, mind"
particleattributive "of"
ぞうnoun — "internal organ." 心臓 (しんぞう, "heart" the organ) is normally one word; splitting it into 心の臓 ("the organ of the heart/mind") is a deliberate poetic device.

The red and blue lines converge at a single point — the heart — the image the side rail traces literally.

かぜなかでもけないようなこえ

With a voice that refuses to lose, even inside the wind,

かぜnoun — "wind"
の中 のなかnoun phrase — "inside, within"
particlelocative "at/in," combined with も below
particle"even, also" — の中でも = "even within..."
負けない まけないverb — negative of 負ける (まける, "to lose") → "will not lose, undefeated"
ようなcomparative — "as if, seeming like." Attaches to a verb to describe a quality resembling that state: "a voice that seems as if it won't lose."
こえnoun — "voice"
particleinstrumental — "with, by means of"

とどける言葉ことばいまそだててる

I'm nurturing, for now, the words I'll deliver.

届ける とどけるverb — "to deliver, to send." Modifies 言葉 as a relative clause: "the words [I'll] deliver."
言葉 ことばnoun — "words"
particledirect object marker
いまnoun/adverb — "now"
particletopic/contrast marker — "now" as opposed to some other time
育ててる そだててるverb — casual spoken contraction of 育てている, the progressive form of 育てる (そだてる, "to raise, nurture"). Dropping い from ている → てる is common in relaxed speech.

ときはまくらぎ かぜはにきはだ ほしはうぶすな ひとはかげろう

Time is a railway tie · wind is soft skin · stars are a guardian spirit · people are a shimmer of heat.

ときnoun — "time"
particletopic marker — sets up each of the four "X is Y" clauses in this parallel line
まくらぎnoun — 枕木, a railway tie/sleeper. Poetic image: time passing marked off like the regular ties beneath a rail line.
かぜnoun — "wind"
particletopic marker (see above)
にきはだnoun — 和膚, an archaic poetic word for "soft skin," a classical epithet for gentleness
ほしnoun — "star(s)"
particletopic marker (see above)
うぶすなnoun — 産土, one's native guardian deity: the local kami tied to a person's birthplace
ひとnoun — "people, person"
particletopic marker (see above)
かげろうnoun — 陽炎, heat haze/shimmer; a classical symbol of something fleeting and ephemeral

The rail's cross-ties are literal here — 枕木 (まくらぎ) is the same word used for the wooden ties laid beneath railroad tracks.

なんでいてるのとかれこたえれる なみだなんかじゃ

Asked why I'm crying, the only answer I have is tears — and that's not enough,

なんでadverb — "why"
泣いてるの ないてるのverb + particle — casual for 泣いているの, "(that) I'm crying." の turns it into a question-able noun phrase.
particlequotative — marks the content of what's asked
聞かれ きかれverb — conjunctive stem of 聞かれる, passive of 聞く ("to ask") → "being asked"
答えれる こたえれるverb — casual "ra-nuki" potential of 答えられる, from 答える ("to answer") → "can answer." Modifies 涙 as a relative clause: "tears that could answer."
なみだnoun — "tears"
なんかcolloquialism — "something like, that sort of thing" (dismissive, minimizing)
じゃparticlecasual contraction of では; sets up an implied negative that resolves in the next line

ぼく出逢であえたことの意味いみにはまるで いつかない

not even close to reaching everything it means that we found each other.

僕ら ぼくらpronoun — "we" (casual 僕 + plural ら)
出逢えた であえたverb — potential past of 出逢う (であう, "to meet, encounter") → "were able to meet"
ことparticlenominalizer — turns the preceding clause into a noun: "the fact of having met"
particleattributive "of" — links 出逢えたこと to 意味
意味 いみnoun — "meaning"
にはparticleに + は — marks the thing being reached/matched, with contrastive emphasis
まるでadverb — "(not) at all, entirely," pairing with a negative verb for emphasis
追いつかない おいつかないverb — negative of 追いつく (おいつく, "to catch up to, match") → "doesn't come close to, can't catch up with"

The sentence runs across the line break: 答えれる涙なんかじゃ …まるで追いつかない — even tears that could serve as an answer don't come close to matching the meaning of having met.

このひとつじゃ りないさけ

This one body isn't enough to hold the cry inside it.

このdeterminer — "this"
noun — "body, self"
ひとつnumber — "one" (a single unit)
じゃparticleでは contraction — "with just..." paired with the negative 足りない that follows
足りない たりないverb — negative of 足りる (たりる, "to be enough") → "isn't enough." Modifies 叫び: "a cry [this body] isn't enough for."
叫び さけびnoun — from 叫ぶ (さけぶ, "to shout, cry out") → "a cry, a shout"

きみれたときにだけふるえた こころがあったよ

There was a heart that trembled only when it touched your hand.

きみnoun — "you"
particlepossessive — "your"
noun — "hand"
particlemarks the thing touched — 触れる takes に for what's touched
触れた ふれたverb — past of 触れる (ふれる, "to touch")
ときnoun — "time, moment" — 触れた時 = "the moment [it] touched..."
particletemporal "at"
だけparticle"only"
震えた ふるえたverb — past of 震える (ふるえる, "to tremble, shake"). 触れた時にだけ震えた is a relative clause on 心: "a heart that trembled only at the moment it touched [your hand]."
こころnoun — "heart"
particlesubject marker
あったverb — past of ある ("to exist") → "there was"
particlesentence-final — adds assertive emphasis

意味いみをいくつえればぼくらは辿たどり つけるのかな

I wonder how many meanings we'll have to cross before we can finally get there.

意味 いみnoun — "meaning"
particleobject marker
いくつpronoun — "how many"
越えれば こえればverb — conditional (ば-form) of 越える (こえる, "to cross, go beyond") → "if [we] cross..."
僕ら ぼくらpronoun — "we"
particletopic marker
辿りつける たどりつけるverb — potential of 辿り着く (たどりつく, "to finally arrive, reach after wandering") → "be able to reach"
particlenominalizer — softens the question
かなparticlesentence-final — expresses wondering, "I wonder..."

意味をいくつ越えれば…辿りつけるのかな — "I wonder how many meanings we'll have to cross before we can finally arrive."

おろかさでいい みにくさでいい

It's fine to be foolish. It's fine to be ugly.

愚かさ おろかさnoun — "foolishness" (from 愚か, おろか, "foolish")
particlemarks the state being accepted — "as, being"
いいadjective — "fine, okay" (casual for よい). 愚かさでいい = "it's fine to be foolish"
醜さ みにくさnoun — "ugliness" (from 醜い, みにくい, "ugly")
particlesame pattern repeated
いいadjective — "it's fine to be ugly" too

ただしさのそのさききみりたい

Past whatever's "right," I want to take your hand.

正しさ ただしさnoun — "rightness, correctness" (from 正しい, ただしい)
particleattributive "of"
そのdeterminer — "that"
さきnoun — "beyond, the far side, ahead." 正しさのその先で = "at that point beyond rightness"
particlelocative "at, in"
きみnoun — "you"
particle"with" (accompaniment)
noun — "hand"
particleobject marker
取りたい とりたいverb — desiderative (たい-form) of 取る (とる, "to take, grasp") → "want to take/hold"

The dashed line marks 先 (さき) — the boundary this stanza asks to be carried past.

おもせない 大切たいせつ記憶きおく

Precious memories I can't recall,

思い出せない おもいだせないverb — negative potential of 思い出す (おもいだす, "to recall, remember") → "cannot recall." Modifies 記憶: "a memory that can't be recalled."
大切な たいせつなna-adjective — "important, precious"
記憶 きおくnoun — "memory"

言葉ことばにならない ここにあるおも

feelings that live here but won't turn into words.

言葉 ことばnoun — "words"
particlemarks the result of becoming — used with なる, "to become X"
ならないverb — negative of なる ("to become") → 言葉にならない = "can't be put into words." Modifies 想い.
ここpronoun — "here"
particlelocative "at, in"
あるverb — existential "to be, exist" (for inanimate/abstract things)
想い おもいnoun — "feeling, thought." Written with 想 rather than the plainer 思 to mark it as a deep, heartfelt feeling.

もしかしたら もしかしたら

Maybe — just maybe —

もしかしたらadverb — "maybe, perhaps," said twice over, as if talking oneself into it

それだけでこのこころはできてる

that alone is what this heart is made of.

それpronoun — "that"
だけparticle"only, just"
particleinstrumental — "by, out of, from"
このdeterminer — "this"
こころnoun — "heart"
particletopic marker
できてるverb — casual contraction of できている, progressive of できる (here, "to be made of, formed from" rather than "to be able to") → "is made of, is formed from"

The rail turns from broken to solid partway down — hesitation (もしかしたら, twice over) settling into the plain claim that follows.

もしかしたら もしかしたら

Maybe — just maybe —

もしかしたらadverb — "maybe, perhaps," said twice over — the same hesitation as before, returning

きみに「づいて」といまもそのむね

Even now, as if to say "notice me" to you,

きみnoun — "you"
particlemarks the target/recipient — "to you"
気づいて きづいてverb — te-form of 気づく (きづく, "to notice, realize"), quoted here as a plea: "notice [me]!"
particlequotative — marks the quoted phrase as what's being said/felt
今も いまもadverb — "even now, still" (今 + emphatic も)
そのdeterminer — "that"
むねnoun — "chest" (also carries the sense of heart, feelings)
particleobject marker

らす

it still pounds in my chest.

打ち鳴らす うちならすverb — 打つ (うつ, "to strike") + 鳴らす (ならす, "to make ring/sound") → "to beat, to pound (like a drum)."

The clause runs across all three lines: 君に「気づいて」と今もその胸を打ち鳴らす — "it still pounds this chest, as if saying 'notice me' to you." The rail skips a beat where it does. Compare the heart that trembled only at your touch, earlier on this page.

なんでいてるのとかれこたえれる なみだなんかじゃ

Asked why I'm crying, the only answer I have is tears — and that's not enough,

ぼく出逢であえたことの意味いみにはまるで いつかない

not even close to reaching everything it means that we found each other.

The chorus returns unchanged — full breakdown at ↑ its first appearance.

このひとつじゃ りないさけ

This one body isn't enough to hold the cry inside it.

Repeats unchanged — full breakdown at ↑ its first appearance.

きみれたときにだけふるえた こころがあったよ

There was a heart that trembled only when it touched your hand.

意味いみをいくつえればぼくらは辿たどり つけるのかな

I wonder how many meanings we'll have to cross before we can finally get there.

Repeats unchanged — full breakdown at ↑ its first appearance.

おろかさでいい みにくさでいい

It's fine to be foolish. It's fine to be ugly.

ただしさのそのさききみきてきたい

Past whatever's "right," I want to go on living with you.

正しさのその先でunchanged from the earlier verse — see ↑ its first appearance for 正しさ / その / 先 / で
きみnoun — "you"
particle"with" (accompaniment)
生きてきたい いきてきたいverb — 生きる (いきる, "to live") in its て-form, plus 来たい (きたい, desiderative of 来る, "to come"): a continuative construction close in spirit to 生きていきたい ("want to keep on living"). Where the earlier verse asked for a hand to hold (手を取りたい), this one asks to keep living beside you.

Only the last verb changes on this pass: 手を取りたい ("want to take your hand") becomes 生きてきたい ("want to go on living [with you]") — the same boundary, a larger wish.